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Vodacom Cup QF: Sharks XV vs Golden Lions

May 2, 2013 in Uncategorized

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Opinions are divided over whether the Golden Lions needed to better the 124 points difference to oust the Leopards or whether a simple 4-try bonus point would have been enough but, be it as it may, the Lions scraped into the Vodacom Cup quarter finals after playing a young team in the early part of the competition while the senior players focused on a fast disintegrating Lions Challenge.

With the matches against French clubs Agen and Montpellier as well as the match against the French Barbarians cancelled the Golden Lions senior players are now available for the remaining Vodacom Cup matches and the Lions will hope to progress past Friday’s quarter final match.

The Golden Lions travel to Durban to take on a strong Sharks XV side that has lost only one of their league matches, against the EP Kings two weeks ago.

The Lions match squad has an unfamiliar look to it due to the players lent to the Sharks recently and the injury to Franco Mostert in a car accident over the weekend. At fullback Chryzander Botha is the third fullback in as many weeks as coach Johann Ackerman looks for a replacement for the injured Andries Coetzee while Hugo Kloppers slots into Mostert’s place at lock with JJ Breet as cover on the bench. For the rest the Lions are fielding all the familiar faces with Warren Whiteley taking over the captaincy from JC Janse van Rensburg, who joined the Sharks down under.

The Sharks also have their problems, especially due to injuries in their Super Rugby squad, and they will have to do without props Danie Mienie and Allan Dell, loosie Lubabalo Mtembu, scrumhalf Tian Meyer as well as wingers Sibusiso Sithole and Sean Robinson.

However, the Sharks still have enough talent in the squad to be dangerous with Springbok Willem Alberts getting back to match fitness after his injury, Ryan Kankowski joining the team and youngsters like Hanco Venter, Tyler Fisher, Fred Zeilinga and Gouws Prinsloo playing under the captaincy of Marius Joubert.

To be honest, it is very difficult to really compare the sides as they played in different sections during the league phases and have faced neither each other nor the same opponents. The only way to compare is to look at the experience in both teams.

Senior caps:
Sharks: 795 (495 between Willem Alberts, Ryan Kankowski and Marius Jonker)
Lions: 869

Super Rugby caps:
Sharks: 224 (4 players)
Lions: 143 (12 players)

Springbok caps:
Sharks: 70 (3 players)
Lions: 0

Past SA u/20 players:
Sharks: 6
Lions: 6

Ave age:
Sharks: 22.64
Lions: 24.27

Players over 23:
Sharks: 4
Lions: 11

Players under 21:
Sharks: 7
Lions: 0

Looking at these figures the Lions obviously have the more experienced side, both in term of age as well as in terms of number of players with first class experience, but whether that will translate into victory remains to be seen, considering the match is played in Durban, and Durbs has not been a happy hunting ground for Lions teams in the past.

In recent weeks the Sharks XV lost to the EP Kings, were played close by the SWD Eagles, the Free State XV and WP while the Golden Lions, since involving their senior players, have beaten both Griquas and the Pumas comfortably, which also may indicate that the Golden Lions is the stronger side, considering the opposition played. However, since these losses Alberts and Kanko joined the Sharks XV, strengthening the side considerably.

It is important, however, for the Lions to come away with a victory, not only to show that their preparation for the Super Rugby play-offs is on track but also to stay in the Vodacom Cup to get more game time before the play-offs. The lack of quality opposition during the run in to the play-offs, especially if the remaining French matches that were scheduled for July are cancelled as rumoured, means that the final stages of the Vodacom Cup have taken on a greater importance.

Given the relative inexperience of most of the Sharks team and the fact that they have had close battles with traditionally weaker sides I think the Lions have the advantage going into the match and should come away with a win.

Lions by 9.

The Sharks XV: 15. Jaco van Tonder, 14. Kotaro Matsushima, 13. Marius Joubert (Capt), 12. Heimar Williams, 11. Sizo Maseko, 10. Fred Zeilinga, 9. Hanco Venter, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Brynard Stander, 5. Peet Marais, 4. Jandre Marais, 3. Nicolaas van Dyk, 2. Monde Hadebe, 1. Robbie Harris

Replacements: 16. Franco Marais, 17. Simon Kerrod, 18. Francois Kleinhans, 19. Khaya Majola, 20. Stefan Ungerer, 21. Tyler Fisher, 22. Gouws Prinsloo

Golden Lions: 15 Chryzander Botha, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley (c), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Ruan Dreyer.
Reserwes: 16 Francois du Toit, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 JJ Breet, 19 Willie Britz, 20 Ross Cronjé, 21 Dylan des Fountain, 22 Lionel Cronjé.

Other matches:

Friday, May 03 2013
19:10 – Pumas vs Pampas: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

The Pumas have a strong squad of journeymen combined with youngsters that couldn’t quite make their provincial squads in the past, players like Rosko Specman, Renaldo Bothma and Jerome Pretorius, while the Pampas aren’t quite at the same standard of a few years ago when they won the Vodacom Cup.

PUMAS to beat Pampas XV by 15

Saturday, May 04 2013
15:30 – WP vs Griquas: DHL Newlands, Cape Town

The Griquas with a squad of journeymen probably have the better known players but the WP youngsters have done well so far.

WESTERN PROVINCE to beat Griquas by 8

16:30 – Blue Bulls vs EP Kings: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

With all their Tuks players and Baby Boks and other youngsters who are set to replace the senior players the Bulls are trying to put to pasture the Blue Bulls have a very strong side, too strong for an EP Kings side that has done well to reach the quarters.

BLUE BULLS to beat Eastern Province Kings by 25

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Sharks touring squad includes 3 Lions

April 18, 2013 in Uncategorized

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The Sharks have named their touring squad with the surprise inclusion of Derick Minnie. Jaco Kriel was originally earmarked to tour with the Sharks but this, for some reason, has not come off. The other Lions in the squad is Andries Coetzee, who is also included in the Sharks match 22 for the game against the Cheetahs on Saturday, and regular loan player, Franco van der Merwe.

Another surprise is the inclusion of Tukkies and Blue Bulls centre and former Sharkie, Piet Lindeque. Lindeque moved to the Blue Bulls only a few months ago after not getting a contract with the Sharks.

And Kanko’s lack of form, according to coach Plumtree, sees him miss out on tour although the other player glaringly out of form, Frans Steyn, made it  and will probably be played at centre with Andries Coetzee covering fullback.

Minnie’s inclusion is the real surprise though because his name was never even mentioned as a possibility and, good player as he is, he is a penalty liability but Plumtree probably felt they need a specialist fetcher to take on the teams down under.

Forwards
1. Anton Bresler
2. Craig Burden
3. Marcell Coetzee
4. Kyle Cooper
5. Keegan Daniel
6. Allan Dell
7. Jean Deysel
8. Jannie du Plessis
9. Pieter-Steph du Toit
10. Derick Minnie
11. Wiehahn Herbst
12. Tendai Mtawarira
13. Lubabalo Mtembu
14. Franco van der Merwe

Backs
1. Meyer Bosman
2. Andries Coetzee
3. Paul Jordaan
4. Patrick Lambie
5. Piet Lindeque
6. Charl McLeod
7. Odwa Ndungane
8. JP Pietersen
9. Cobus Reinach
10. Sean Robinson
11. Francois Steyn
12. Riaan Viljoen

http://www.sharksrugby.co.za/news#article1888464

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Two more Lions out on loan

April 9, 2013 in Uncategorized

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Two Lions players, fullback Andries Coetzee and flank Jaco Kriel, have joined the Sharks squad in Durban and will be undergoing tests this week with the view of being signed on loan agreements.

With Louis Ludick and Jacques Botes amongst the Sharks latest casualties they are running low on Super Rugby experienced backup and the two Lions players can be seen as “custom fits” for those positions.

Andries Coetzee made an exciting start to Super Rugby when he had to fill in on flyhalf against the Sharks when Elton Jantjies got injured and he subsequently cemented himself into the fullback spot, so much so that Jaco Taute was moved to centre when he returned from injury. He is an attacking fullback and should be a good replacement for Louis Ludick.

Jaco Kriel could provide the Sharks with the specialist open side flank they need although he is equally comfortable on the blind side. Injuries have depleted the Sharks experienced loose forward stocks to the point that they only have Keegan Daniel, Marcell Coetzee and Ryan Kankowski available.

Both players will be undergoing “trials” this week before a final decision is made and they will have to earn their spots but initially they will be with the Sharks to provide backup.

With the Lions tour to the USA cancelled and the serious leg of the Preparation Programme only starting in June we may see more Lions players being made available on loan to franchises that need backups.

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State of the Nation’s Rugby

March 17, 2013 in Uncategorized

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It is disturbing that only two of the South African franchises have improved in their performance over the last four weeks and that the two franchises that are the main repositories of Springbok rugby have regressed dramatically.

After last week’s euphoria because of the three nil drubbing of Kiwi sides by Saffer sides we were quickly brought back to earth this week when the Bulls and the Sharks were totally outplayed by their opposition. What is even more disturbing is that it was so easy to see it coming.

Both the Bulls and the Sharks were still unbeaten before the weekend but the signs of a fall were there for all to see. And even more disturbing was the ease with which the Chiefs, Crusaders and the Brumbies scored their tries once they were on attack, even against the Stormers the previous week.

So far only the Cheetahs and the Stormers have improved from week one.

Waratahs vs Cheetahs:

After a poor start against the Sharks and a worse start to their tour down under the Cheetahs upped their defence against the Highlanders and played a more balanced game against the Waratahs to win two in row on tour.

Where the Cheetahs forwards were the main force in their victory over the Clan with the backs merely playing a defensive role, against the Waratahs they brought in their backs a lot more on attack while maintaining their defence.

If the Cheetahs can maintain their new-found defence through the season they have a good chance of improving on their best results of the past.

Kings vs Chiefs:

They defend with heart but the Kings have one objective and that, notwithstanding a fortuitous win over a pathetic Force side, is to lose respectably and they’ve been helped in this by a dire Sharks performance and a Chiefs side that took a break after they had scored their bonus point try.

Unlike against the Cheetahs where the Chiefs knew that the Cheetahs can come back and punish them if they slack off, they knew the Kings are of no consequence and they could rest their players for the last 30 minutes.

No matter how popular it is in the media to write up the Kings “brave” performances all the Kings real hope for is not to lose too badly.

Crusaders vs Bulls:

The Bulls manage to scrape home wins against a stuttering Stormers side, a poor Force team and then away against an inexperienced Blues selection. The only real positive for the Bulls is that Morne Steyn has found his kicking boots again but even that couldn’t save the Bulls from a six tries to nil blitz by a rampant Crusaders, a Crusaders side that struggled to keep the ball in hand in the first half and that left a number of tries unscored.

With Dan Carter having one of his better performance in recent times the Crusaders exposed the soft under belly of the Bulls and the Bulls were fortunate that this game didn’t turn into a real rout.

But the game had its moment of comedy when Deon Stegmann had to be lead across the tryline by Chiliboy because he didn’t notice the gap as wide as a barn door that had opened up before him.

Sharks vs Brumbies:

After beating the Cheetahs and scraping wins against the Stormers and the Kings the Sharks’ dependence on their big ball carriers were exposed by a polished Brumbies side. Without the likes of Willem Alberts to carry the ball across the advantage line the Sharks struggle without front foot ball and the deficiencies of their 9-10-12 combination was there far all to see.

But the worst was to see their lethargic and almost disinterested display on defence and the ease with which the Brumbies broke their line to score their tries. In the move to score their third try the Brumbies #13 struggled to get the ball under control while Burden and Jordaan patiently waited before trying to tackle him. And what’s with the little kick pass by Jordaan to Kanko?

The Sharks have now managed to score three tries in four games (one in their last three) and look more and more like a toothless old dog.

SARU:

Meanwhile SARU’s monkeys in charge are maintaining their attitude of “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

Last week the media spin doctors explained to us that a non-South African African player isn’t really a foreign player when the Kings fielded Daniel Adongo, Nicolas Vergallo and Hadleigh Parkes while SARU looked on in silence.

This week the Kings went a step further and played Tomàs Leonardi, Daniel Adongo, Nicolas Vergallo and Hadleigh Parkes. I won’t be surprised if SARU continue to allow the Kings to flout the rules with impunity.

Note: According to Rugby 365:

SARU confirmed on Sunday that they have asked for an “explanation” as to why the Kings fielded an additional foreign player from outside the African continent.

“Media are advised that the selection of three overseas players by the Southern Kings in their match 22 against the Chiefs in Port Elizabeth on Friday [March 15] has been noted by SARU,” a brief statement said.

“SARU will be contacting the Kings for a report on the situation.”

Update: The Kings continue to ignore the two foreign player rule by including all four their non-African foreigners in their touring squad:

Andries Strauss, Bandise Maku, Cornell du Preez, Daniel Adongo, David Bulbring, Demetri Catrakilis, Elric van Vuuren, George Whitehead, Grant Kemp, Hadleigh Parkes, Jaco Engels, Jacques Engelbrecht, Johannes Franklin, Kevin Buys, Marcello Sampson, Nicolas Vergallo, Ronnie Cooke, Rynier Bernardo, Schalk Ferreira, Sergeal Petersen, Shaun Venter, Steven Sykes, Tomas Leonardi, Virgile Lacombe, Waylon Murray, Wimpie van there Walt.

Will the softcocks at SARU do something more than wring their hands?

Varsity Cup Shenanigans:

According to media reports Tuks have been rake over the coals for the second year running because they didn’t have enough bona fide students in their team and for the second year running they have come away with only a warning.

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How far will the Sharks win?

March 6, 2013 in Uncategorized

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The Sharks take on Super Rugby rookies, the Southern Kings, in PE on Saturday in the Kings first game against top ranked opponents and speculation in the social media has been rampant in recent months about how far the Kings would lose.

After putting in a creditable performance against the Force, where the Kings’ defence was superb, the wild speculation of 100+ margins have been tempered a bit and margin predictions tend to be in the 15 to 30 point range now.

One player who will impact on the Sharks winning margin (I am not even contemplating a loss) will be flyhalf Pat Lambie. Not only because he is the goal kicker, and he has been kicking well so far, but because it is largely up to him to distribute the possession the Sharks get and to manage the game plan for the Sharks.

People took exception when I said after the Sharks first game that he had a forgettable game against the Cheetahs so I won’t use that phrase again but has has been playing within himself the first two games.

He has had solid but unremarkable games so far and it is time for him to come out of the box that Heyneke Meyer put him in during the EOYT and to show the creativity and spark we know he has.

If he does the Sharks can score a runaway victory, if he doesn’t the victory will only be “respectable”.

And if this read as if I don’t rate the Kings, I don’t. And it has nothing to do with politics or being anti or anything like that, I just don’t believe they have enough quality players to realistically trouble the Sharks.

Note: I went with a 30 point win on my Superbru because I don’t think the Sharks will let it “all hang out”.

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Super Rugby Week 3 Preview

February 27, 2013 in Uncategorized

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Week 3 of Super Rugby sees the Crusaders coming to the party, the Bulls bargaining on a bonus point win, the Stormers hoping to play a lot better, the Cheetahs starting their tour downunder and the Kings get a break and 4 points. Look forward to some scintillating matches when the Cheetahs take on the Chiefs and the Reds play the Canes and a possible bore-fest when the Tahs play the Rebels.

Last week my predictions were way off:

Last week: 3/7
Overall: 5/9
Percentage: 55.56%

Blues v Crusaders – 1 Mar 08:30

The Blues vs Crusaders is going to be an interesting match. Last week the Blues surprised most people by beating the Canes with a young and inexperienced side and this week they face the Crusaders in the Saders’ first match of the season. The Saders’ run-on side has a familiar look except on the wings where centre Adam Whitelock needs to stand in with the loss of Zac Guilford and Sean Maitland. Not an easy call but it’s difficult to bet against the Crusaders in this one.

Crusaders by 6

Fantasy League players to consider:
Blues: Frank Halai, Rene Ranger, Piri Weepu, Ali Williams
Saders: Robbie Fruean, Israel Dagg, Dan Carter, Kieran Read, Corey Flynn

Blues:

15 Charles Piutau, 14 Frank Halai, 13 Rene Ranger, 12 Francis Saili, 11 George Moala, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Luke Braid, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Ali Williams (captain), 4 Culum Retallick, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 James Parsons, 1 Tom McCartney.

Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Angus Ta’avao, 18 Liaki Moli, 19 Brendon O’Connor, 20 Bryn Hall, 21 Baden Kerr, 22 Jackson Willison..

Crusaders:

15 Tom Taylor, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Israel Dagg, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Dominic Bird, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tyler Bleyendaal, 22 Tom Marshall

Waratahs v Rebels – 1 Mar 10:20

Another tough call as the Tahs weren’t very good last week and the Rebels, with JOC playing well, could just surprise. NRL convert, Israel Folau, plays in his second rugby union match and a lot is expected of this youngster. In the end the Waratahs should take a match that will be fairly even for the first 60 minutes or so but don’t expect a very exciting match.

Waratahs by 6

Fantasy League players to consider:
Tahs: Israel Folau, Drew Mitchell, Wycliff Palu, Michael Hooper, Tatafu Polota-Nau
Rebels: James O’Connor (kicker), Ged Robinson

Waratahs:

15 Israel Folau, 14 Tom Kingston, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Brendan McKibbin, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis (c), 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Mitchell Chapman, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson

Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Sitaleki Timani, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 Ben Volavola

Melbourne Rebels:

15 James O’Connor (captain), 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Luke Jones, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson

Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Jordy Reid, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Angus Roberts, 22 Tom English

Reds v Hurricanes – 1 Mar 12:20

This could be one of the entertaining matches of the weekend with both sides enjoying an open game. The game features a number of exciting players and try-scorers but the Canes’ poor defence may just cost them the game.

Reds by 9

Fantasy League players to consider:
Reds: Dom Shipperley, Ben Tapuai, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, James Slipper
Cane: Andre Taylor, Conrad Smith, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Ben Franks

Reds:

15 Aiden Toua, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Ed O’Donoghue, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper (captain), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.

Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Albert Anae, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Luke Morahan

 

Hurricanes:

15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben Franks.

Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Reggie Goodes, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 James Marshall, 22 Reynold Lee-Lo

Chiefs v Cheetahs – 2 Mar 08:35

This match has the potential to be the Rugby Lite (TM Kitchener) match of the weekend and one can expect a lot of tries as both sides don’t really place a premium on defence once the game opens up. With two of the best young flyhalves in the game on display and some of the best open-play player featured on  both sides the match promises to be a spectacle, however, in the end the Cheetahs’ lack of enough quality forwards will cost them the game.

Chiefs by 12

Fantasy League players to consider:
Chiefs: Gareth Anscombe, Tim Nanai-Williams, Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Sam Cane, Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick, Pauliasi Manu
Cheetahs: Willie le Roux, Johann Sadie, Raymond Rhule, Johan Goosen, Piet van Zyl, Adriaan Strauss

Chiefs:

15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Tim Nanai-Williams, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Asaeli  Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam  Messam (c), 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Michael Fitzgerald, 3 Ben Afeaki, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Pauliasi Manu

Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Ben Tameifuna, 18 Craig Clarke, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 21Charlie Ngatai, 22 Patrick Osborne

Cheetahs:

15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Frans Viljoen, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lodewyk de Jager, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Trevor Nyakane.

Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Rynhard Landman, 19 Johannes Prinsloo, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Riaan Smith, 22 Ryno Benjamin.

 

Bulls v Force – 2 Mar 17:05

Last week against the Kings the Force struggled in the scrums, were pathetic in the lineouts and their goal kickers were poor while their backline couldn’t break a wet paper bag. The same  this week and you can expect expect a massacre from a Bulls side that looked fairly polished for the start of the season. Hopefully the Bulls will experiment a bit with some of their youngsters and give Jan Serfontein and Arno Botha a start.

Bulls by 26

Fantasy League players to consider:
Bulls: Lionel Mapoe, Bjorn Basson, Mornè Steyn, Mornè Mellett
Force: Alfie Mafi

Bulls :
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Sampie Mastriet, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Mornè Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Jacques Potgieter, 5 Juandrè Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Mornè Mellett.

Substitutes: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Grant Hattingh, 19 Jean Cook, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouchè , 22 Jan Serfontein.

 

Force (Last week):

15 Will Tupou, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Winston Stanley, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Alfie Mafi, 10 Sam Christie, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson (c), 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Hugh McMeniman, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.

Replacements: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Kieran Longbottom, 18 Toby Lynn, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Chris Alcock, 21 Mick Snowden, 22 Junior Rasolea

Sharks v Stormers – 2 Mar 19:10

For the South African conference this is the game of the weekend when the two sides who are expected to battle it out for the top spot battle it out. The Sharks were solid last week although they went to sleep a bit in the second half wereas the Stormers were probably at their worst with set pieces not working, ball turnovers at the breakdowns, poor goal kicking and new combinations struggling. The Stormers might make a few changes but they will want their scrums and lineouts to work and will hope that Elton Jantjies has a more settled game this time around. The Sharks, however, is just a bit ahead of the Stormers in terms of being match ready and should win the battle in the Shark Tank.

Sharks by 6

Fantasy League players to consider:
Sharks: JP Pietersen, Paul Jordaan,Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie,Marcell Coetzee, Franco van der Merwe, Tendai Mtawarira
Stormers: Gio Aplon, Bryan Habana, Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi, Andries Bekker

Sharks:

15. Louis Ludik, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Frans Steyn (c), 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10. Pat Lambie, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Franco van der Merwe, 4. Anton Bresler, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Craig Burden, 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Replacements: 16. Kyle Cooper, 17. Wiehahn Herbst, 18. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19. Jacques Botes, 20. Charl McLeod, 21. Meyer Bosman, 22. Odwa Ndungane

 

Stormers:

15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jean de Villiers (c),  12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Subs: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Pat Cilliers, 18 Don Armand, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Peter Grant, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

 

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Semi final refs – the stats

October 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Interesting stats I picked up in a Sharksworld comment. (I haven’t checked these stats). We love to think that certain refs hate our teams but perception isn’t always the truth.

Lions vs WP (Marius Jonker):

Since 2003, Jonker has reffed the Lions in 15 Currie Cup games, which they won 7. Of these 15 games, seven were at home (won four) and eight were away (won three).

Jonker reffing province is similar, 15 Currie cup games, province won seven. Five were home games (won four) and 10 were away(won three)

Interestingly, Jonker has reffed five Lions/province Currie Cup games, and the Lions have won four of those, the only province win coming in week 6, 2011.

In the last 10 years of Currie Cup, Lions have played province 21 times, Lions winning 11 of those, and province winning nine. There was one draw, back in 2003, at Ellis Park.

Of those 21 games, 11 were in Joburg, Lions won nine. province have only won once in Joburg in the last 10 years, week three of 2005, by 38-23. Lions have beaten province twice in cape town in the last ten years, this year, 22-9, and in 2004 by 35-26.

The one time we (the Lions) lost to province with Jonker as a ref was in cape town last year, by 26-28.

Sharks vs Bulls (Mark Lawrence):

Mark Lawrence in charge of a sharks/bulls game reveals the following:

Lawrence has reffed the sharks 25 times in Currie cup in the last ten years, of which they won 17! 11 were at home(won 9) and 14 away(won 8). He has reffed the bulls 23 times in the same period, of which they won 15. Eight were at home(won 7) and 15 away(won 8).

Lawrence handling a sharks/bulls encounter, sharks won five, and bulls one, the only bulls win coming at durban in 2006. 2007,2008,2009 and this year in durban were won by the sharks, as was 2011 in pretoria.

In ten years of currie cup action, sharks have met bulls 21 times, winning 13, with eight going the way of the bulls. Of these 21 games, 11 were played in durban, with the sharks prevailing nine times. The two blots on the record books are the 2006 Lawrence game(32-50), as well as in 2004(23-27).

http://www.sharksworld.co.za/2012/10/16/semi-final-refs-announced/

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by Baylion

And then there were four

October 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

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The Currie Cup competition is into its final stages. Only four teams remain to fight it out for the top spot and only one team with no further interest in the competition. The Sharks, Golden Lions, WP and the Blue Bulls made it through to the semi finals while the Cheetahs has to face the Kings in promotion/relegation matches. The Griquas can put their feet up and watch the remaining matches from the sidelines.

Sharks vs Blue Bulls:

In one semi final the Sharks play host to the Blue Bulls in Durban. The Sharks had the luxury of resting some of their key players in their last match, assured of a home semi final while the Blue Bulls had to pull out all stops to avoid the relegation zone and were helped by a Lions team that imploded in the last quarter.

On the face of it it should be a relatively comfortable win for the Sharks but the record books show that the Blue Bulls can never be taken lightly in the knock out stages of the Currie Cup. Of the 17 semi finals the Sharks contested they only managed to win eight while the Blue Bulls have won 13 of the 16 they contested. That said, however, the Blue Bulls last beat the Sharks in Durnban in 2006.

So while the Sharks will call on the players they rested to strengthen their side the match will probably be a close one and, depending on the weather, could be decided by the boot.

There are some mouth watering matchups to look forward to. Up front

  • in the front row it will be Bok props vs discarded Bok bench props
  • a good second row faces the Bok second choice second row
  • in the back row we’ll probably see an all Bok backrow take on some serious young talent

And in the backline we have

  • the two form scrumhalves of the competition doing battle
  • behind them it is Bok #10 vs ignored Bok #10/15
  • some of the best young midfield players facing up
  • four Bok wings doing battle
  • the form fullback facing the incumbent Bok fullback

This match have the ingredients to be a great match but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Personally I’m going with a Sharks win but won’t be surprised if the Blue Bulls get their mojo back.

Golden Lions vs WP:

Last weekend the Lions, resting some key players, imploded in the last quarter against the Blue Bulls while WP, fielding their strongest available side, wiped the floor with the Cheetahs.

The Golden Lions face the most successful team in Currie Cup history, Western Province, in the other semi final but it is a WP side who last held a Currie Cup 11 years ago and have since been tagged as chokers and who will be desperate to change their recent record. Talking of history WP has won 13 out of the 18 semi finals they played while the Golden Lions have been less successful winning only eight out of 15 but the only time the two teams met in a semi final was last year and the Golden Lions won that encounter.

It remains to be seen if a full strength Lions side will be good enough to beat a full strength WP side but the matchups make for a good match.

Up front

  • one of the best frontrows in the country face up to some good youngsters
  • two war horses, young and old, do battle in the second row against a young Bok war horse
  • a couple of fetchers have to contend with a retreaded hooker/wing and the Bok number eight

And at the back

  • the Lions only scrumhalf match up to two in form youngsters
  • a Bok (young or old) face off against a young pretender
  • \a good journeyman and a rookie Bok to face two experienced Boks playing in their preferred positions
  • talented young wings do battle with a forgotten Bok and an unfulfilled talent
  • one of the finds of the year face a sometimes x-factor journeyman at fullback

On the day either side can take this match and both sides have something to prove, the Lions want to rub it in and WP wants some silverware. This makes the match a difficult one to predict and when it is a 50/50 decision I go with the Lions to win.

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by Baylion

Currie Cup Crunch Time

October 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

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There are no dead rubbers this weekend and even though the Sharks and the Lions are assured of home semi finals their game results will have an impact on all the other teams. Only two points separate the other four teams and losses would not only end their semi final hopes but also put them in a possible promotion/relegation play-off against the EP Kings.

While no-one really expects any of these teams to really lose against the Kings in a two match play-off series, although anything is possible, it is the ignomy of finishing last that will grate, especially for the full strength Super Rugby teams, the Blue Bulls and Western Province.

Sharks vs Griquas:

With the Lions accepting a Sharks win and selecting a weakened side for their game there is even less pressure on the Sharks where any result might just be good enough. The Sharks used there returning Boks sparingly but even so, a win by Griquas is only a remote possibility.

Sharks by 12

Western Province vs Cheetahs:

This is  a real crunch match with the winner probably in the semis and the loser probably in the bottom end play-offs so, at the risk of losing team cohesion, both sides pulled in all their Boks, more so WP as they have quite a few. The risk for WP is that the returning Boks may try to revert to the Stormers game while the rest of the team has been on another wavelength altogether. The Cheetahs will give it a good college try but will fall short in the end as their defences lets them down – again, but it will be a close match.

WP by 7

Lions vs Blue Bulls:

Even though the Lions are sitting comfortably in second spot this match will determine the fate of some of the other teams. It’s really simple: if the Bulls win, they will probably move into the semis with one of the other match losers dropping into the bottom spot to face the Kings, if the Bulls lose they will finish last. The danger for the Bulls is that they cannot afford to just rock up thinking the game is won against a young Lions side (only four of the starting 15 is over 25) as these youngsters would like nothing better than prove they are good enough. However, if all goes according to expectations the Bulls should win comfortably.

Bulls by 15

And all this sets up the semi finals:

Sharks vs Bulls – Durban
Lions vs WP – Johannesburg

First Division:

EP Kings vs Pumas:

Down in PE the EP Kings face the Pumas in the First Division finals. Neither of these sides could get the better of the other during the league stages playing to a draw twice so one can expect a tight match. The Pumas had a very inconsistent campaign while the Kings were unbeaten through the league phases but have lost their captain to injury making this a tough call.

However, home ground advantage and all, the Kings should pull it off to finally win a trophy but that’s really irrelevant as they will be playing for promotion to the Premier Division anyway.

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by Baylion

Dixon’s red card – fair call

September 29, 2012 in Uncategorized

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When is a kick in the face not a kick in the face? When a Sharks supporter looks at a Sharks player kicking an opponent in the face.

Sharks supporters are up in arms about the “shocking TMO bungle” after “hooker Pieter Dixon (was) red-carded for a completely unintentional boot to the head of a Bulls player”, to quote from the Sharkworld article.

This is not the first time that supporters of a team have been totally at odds with a ref or a TMO’s decision and with the expanded powers of the TMO comes even more moments of unhappiness as on-field incidents can now be referred, not only incidents during the scoring of a try.

Somehow rugby supporters seem to have the idea that an action must be deliberate for it to be penalised. If that was the case very few infringements would ever be penalised as most infringements are unintentional. The on-field decision, and the TMO’s for that matter, deals with whether an infringement took place or not and it is up to the citing commissioner and judicial officer to decide afterwards if it warrants further punishment.

Pieter Dixon’s kick:

From the video footage it is fairly clear that Dixon kicked as he was falling but, giving him the benefit of the doubt, he probably tried to kick at the ball but connected Arno Botha in the head instead. And it clearly was a kick – note the toe-down position of his foot as well as the straightening of the knee. Compare that with the toe-up position of the Bulls player in the fall.

For the video look 4:33 min: http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup/video/189401

Pieter Dixon's kickPieter Dixon's kick connect

Stupid? Yes.

Reckless? Definitely.

Dangerous? Absolutely.

The TMO’s decision to confirm a red card, which Mark Lawrence already indicated should be the punishment, was not for Dixon kicking Botha in the face on purpose, it was for reckless and dangerous play, unintentional or not. For his stupidity the judicial officer might add a ban to Dixon’s punishment .

Ironically, the Bulls would probably have preferred not to get a penalty at that point as they had the upper hand on the Sharks’ tryline and were in a good position to score a try.